New Volkswagen Amarok wouldn’t have happened without Ford, admits VW 

German car giant Volkswagen has released a statement overnight confirming its all-new second-generation Amarok ute will commence production in 2022.

The new Volkswagen Amarok ute will be built in South Africa and will be based on the same platform as the next-gen Ford Ranger, which is expected to arrive in Australia in late 2021.

Carsales understands the new Volkswagen Amarok will arrive in Australia late in 2022 or early 2023.

The MkII Volkswagen Amarok will borrow powertrains from the next Ranger ute, which means the current Amarok’s current four and six-cylinder diesels will be swapped for Ford powerplants – tipped to be the existing 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder and a new 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel.

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles chairman Thomas Sedran revealed that without Ford the Amarok would have died.

“Ultimately it is our customers who will benefit, as without the cooperation [with Ford] we would not have developed a new Amarok,” he said.

Volkswagen’s official statement confirming its alliance with Ford – which will also see the US car-maker leverage VW’s MEB electric vehicle platform for a range of new Ford EVs for Europe – is essentially the final sign-off of what’s been talked about for more than a year.

The German car-maker said both companies expect to produce up to a combined eight million commercial vehicles over their circa-10-year lifespans.

The new Volkswagen Amarok will be “made as of 2022” at Ford’s Silverton plant in South Africa, stated VW, but Ford is yet to officially confirm the exact arrival date of its crucial new Ranger ute.

The new Ranger and Amarok will be related in the same way as this year’s new Isuzu D-MAX and Mazda BT-50 ute – a model that is currently based on the existing Ranger – by sharing all mechanical components but offering a different look and feel inside and out.

“Through custom designs and interfaces we will clearly differentiate the two models,” confirmed Sedran.

“For us as Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, our sights with the Amarok successor are on our main markets, above all in the EMEA economic area [Europe, Middle East and Africa].

“What is important for both partners is the utilisation of the same platform. At the same time we will both be able to fully deploy our strengths,” he added.

Expect the 2022 Volkswagen Amarok to retain the 3500kg towing capacity offered by the current model and the existing Ranger, especially given the torquey turbo-diesel engines it will inherit from Ford. They will be matched to six-speed manual and 10-speed automatic transmissions from Ford.

It may also get the petrol V6 and petrol-electric hybrid powertrains reportedly being developed for the next Ranger by Ford, at least in the US market.

Also like the 2021 Ranger, the 2022 Amarok should be available with 4x2 and 4x4 drivetrains, meaning the latter will lose the current model’s permanent 4x4 system.

And depending on how big the next Ranger’s tub is, the Amarok may lose the current model’s status as having one of the widest tubs in its class.

However, it’s not clear whether the next Amarok will mirror the new Ranger in being offered in three different body styles, or whether it will be produced only in volume-selling dual-cab guise.

In Australia, the Amarok doesn’t sell in big numbers like the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger, which have been the nation’s two most popular vehicles in recent years, but Australia is the biggest export market for the existing model made in South America.

“Australia is the biggest Amarok export market. Understandably there’s been ceaseless speculation about what form the second-generation ‘Rok will take, so we’re glad to affirm it,” said Ryan Davies, director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles in Australia.

“Along with Golf and Tiguan, Amarok has become a Volkswagen Australia brand pillar, especially since the arrival of the V6 TDI variants. These comprise 80 per cent, and in some months 90 per cent, of Amarok sales,” he added.